YANNIC
DESCH

Over 10 years scaling software and technology companies in private equity environments. Currently Director Product Portfolio at Rapid Data GmbH in Berlin, responsible for portfolio strategy, growth, and AI integration across a PSG-backed software group. Before that: global product and monetization at StepStone, P&L across €1B in revenue and 23 markets.

Now

Director Product Portfolio @ Rapid Data

Based

Berlin, Germany

Reach

LinkedIn · X · E-Mail

Featured Project // Ongoing

TOOLKIT.

A complete guide to becoming an AI-native leader. Personal AI tools, the AI Chief of Staff build, frameworks for deploying AI in PE-backed companies, and the org-evolution patterns that follow when executives start shipping their own software.

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Writing

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essay9 JUL 2026

The CAIO Paradox

I never created a Chief AI Officer role on my team. Here's what I did instead — and why the title was never the point.

Read → 3 min read

essay2 JUL 2026

Why AI Pilots Die

We ran four AI pilots in 18 months. Three died before production. The pattern is consistent — and it's not a technology problem.

Read → 5 min read

note2 JUL 2026

Mein erster Podcast: KI, Sichtbarkeit und Vertrauen in der Bestattungsbranche

Live auf der FORUM BEFA 2026 in Düsseldorf: Gespräch mit den Ranking Köchen über KI-Marketing, Gedenkportale und was Sichtbarkeit für Bestattungsunternehmen heute wirklich wert ist.

Read → 2 min read

essay18 JUN 2026

The Agent That Was Perfect in Testing

Agents don't fail like software. They drift. Here's what every deployed agent needs before it leaves testing — and why ownership matters more than monitoring.

Read → 5 min read

BUILDER FIRSTNEWSLETTER

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AI, building, and owning — biweekly, for operators who ship.

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Bio →

The operator. 10+ years in PE environments, AI in the P&L, previous roles.

Toolkit →

AI stack, operating system, frameworks for AI deployment and PE readiness.

YANNICDESCH